Sprayer



E. UMBRICHT SPRAYER Aug. 28, 1956 2,760,825

Filed Dec. 1, 1952 IN V EN TOR.

BY I

SPRAYER Emil Umbricht, Jackson, Mich., assignor to Ajem Laboratories,Iuc., Livonia, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 1,1952, Serial No. 323,417

6 Claims. (Cl. 299-123) This invention relates to devices for sprayingwater or other fluids, such as in the sprinkling of lawns or the spraytreatment or cleansing of articles or material, and has for its objectto provide a simple automatic device operable by the force of afjet offluid to break up and divert said jet into a series of spray formationsmoving and combining to effectively spray a desired circular area.

An important object of the invention is to provide a gyratory butnon-rotary spray head resiliently mounted in the path of a jet of wateror fluid and vaned to rock in gyratory fashion under the impact of sucha jet.

A still further object is to provide in such a device a resilientlymounted spray head capable of such gyratory but non-rotary motionwherein a plurality of off-set fanlike vanes radiate from a commoncenter, with the inner end of at least one of the said vanes projectinginto the normal path of the said water jet whereby the impact of the jetwill cause each vane to reactively move out of said path and bring anadjacent vane into said path; the repetition of this action bringing allthe vanes successively into the path of the jet and thereby promote acontinuous gyratory motion of the sprayer head causing the said vanes toeach divert and project spray formations there from.

Still further objects or advantages additional or subsidiary to theaforesaid objects, or resulting from the construction or operation ofthe invention as it may be carried into elfect, will become apparent asthe said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

' In carryingthe said invention into effect, I may adopt the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, by way ofexample, having reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation, with the base shown in section, ofalawnsprayer embodying the said invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the sprayer head;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on a plane in dicated by theline 33 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevation on a smaller scale of the lawn sprayerindicating, in dotted lines, a movement of the sprayer head underinfluence of a jet of water directed upwardly thereagainst; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail of an article cleaning orspraying compartment utilizing the improved sprayer for the cleaning orspray treatment of material passing through the compartment.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts of the severalfigures of the drawing.

Referring more particularly to the first four figures of the drawing;indicates a sprayer base having water or fluid inlet 11 terminating inan upwardly directed jet opening 12. 13 is a flexible column shown asbeing conveniently in the form of a somewhat tapered coil spring mountedon the said base 10 so that a jet of water from the nozzle 12 may bedirected co-axially therethrough; 14 being a ring or tubular membersecured to the upper end of the said spring 13 and open at the atentcenter whereby the jet of water may impinge on blades 15 arranged tosuccessively intercept such jet in the peculiar manner about to bedescribed.

The said blades 15 are in any desirable number to meet the requirementsof the spraying action desired, and are arranged in circular series onthe ring or mounting 14 and extend radially from the axis thereof, asclearly seen in Figures 2 and 3, with the inner edges of the said bladessubstantially meeting at the axis of the said mounting whereby the innerend of at least one of said blades will intercept the jet of water fromsaid nozzle when the water is first turned on.

Each of the said blades is bent or off-set throughout at least its upperportion, and all of them in a right or. in a left-hand directionaccording to the desire of the designer. In other words, the said bladesare arranged in the general formof a rotary fan although it is a feature of this device that these blades do not rotate in the manner of afan, although the head of the device does have an otherwise gyratingmotion about the axis defined by the jet of water emanating from thenozzle opening 12.

The gyratory motion referred to results from the force of the water jetstriking the under oif-set surface of one or other of the blades 15,which blade, reacting to the impact, attempts to move laterally awayfrom the jet thus rocking the head of the device to'one side (asindicated in dotted lines in Figure 4) against the yielding resistanceof the spring support 13. This initial movement merely brings the nextblade of the head into opposition to the jet of water, whereupon therocking is varied as to direction in accordance with the dilferingradial angularity of this second blade; the reaction being thusprogressively transferred from one blade to the next, with consequentchanging in the direction of rocking of the head, until all of theblades have been similarly subjected to the stream of water and acircular rocking gyration of the head brought about and continuouslyrepeated as long as the jet of the water is maintained.

It will readily be understood that the described action causes eachblade, in turn, to break up the jet of water into a spray and to projectthis spray upwardly and outwardly of the head throughouta circular areadependent upon the force of volume of the water jet, the indi vidualsurface area of the blades, and their number and extent to which theyare off-set, as well as upon the resilience of the spring mounting 13;all of which may be varied in relation to each other to cont'rolthe'force, density or type of spray required and the area to be sprayed.

As shown in Figure 5, the device may be utilized, such as in an invertedposition if desired, in a spray booth or in a washer, and it has beenfound in actual practice that, by simple adjustment of the off-set ofthe blades and of the water pressure, the impact effect of the spray onthe material being sprayed may be regulated to a degree whereby a gentlespraying may be obtained or a forceful spray provided, such as may berequired for the removal of oil or foreign material from articles ormaterial.

The device may be very simply and robustly constructed and, being freefrom bearings and relatively sliding or rotating elements, requires nolubricant or other servicing, and is not subject to sticking or similarinterference with its continuous operation. As it need have only oneoutlet orifice for. the water, which orifice may be relatively large, itis much less subject to clogging by sand or other small impurities inthe water stream.

It is not intended, of course, that the device be limited in use to thespraying of water as it is obviously well adapted to the spraying ordisseminating of other fluids.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claimswithout departing from the essential features of the said invention, andit is desired that Patented Aug. 28, 1956 3 the specification anddrawing be read as being merely illustrative of a practical embodimentof the same and not in strictly limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. In a sprayer of the type described, a jet member adapted to project acolumn of fluid along an axis, a fan-like head comprising a plurality ofvanes in circular series radiating from said axis, each of said vaneshaving an under oif-set surface facing said jet member, the inner end ofat least one of said vanes extending into said axis, and meanssupporting said head in spaced relation to said jet member comprisingresilient means normally coaxial with the column of fluid and yieldablyresisting tilting gyratory motion of said head under the impact of thecolumn of fluid.

2. A gyratory non-rotary sprayer including a jet member adapted toproject a column of fluid along an axis, a fan-like head comprising aplurality of vanes in circular series radiating from said axis, each ofsaid vanes having a surface portion facing said jet member and inclinedwith respect to the direction of flow of the fluid in said column, theinner end of at least one of said vanes extending into said axis, and aresilient springy support spacing said head from said jet membernormally coaxial with the fluid column whereby said head is capable of anon-rotary gyratory motion against the yielding resistance of saidsupport under the impact of the column of fluid on said vanes to causesaid vanes to successively rock into intercepting relation to the columnof fluid.

3. In a sprayer of the type described, a jet member adapted to project acolumn of fluid along an axis, a fan-like head comprising a plurality ofvanes in circular series radiating from said axis, each of said vaneshaving an under surface adapted to intercept the column of fluid at aninclination to the direction of flow of the fluid in said column theinner end of at least one of said vanes extending into said axis, and aresilient support in the form of a coiled spring normally coaxial withsaid fluid column spacing said head from said jet member whereby saidhead is capable of a non-rotary gyratory motion under the impact of thecolumn of fluid to cause said vanes to successively rock intointercepting relation to the column of fluid.

4. A gyratory non-rotary sprayer comprising a jet member adapted toproject a column of fluid along an axis, a fan-like spray head having aplurality of inclined vanes in circular series radiating from said axis,the inner end of at least one of said vanes projecting into said axis, aring secured to said vanes and normally concentric with said axis, and aresilient support in the form of a tapered coiled spring supporting saidhead in spaced relation opposite said jet member, said coil springhaving its smaller end secured concentric with said jet member andhaving its larger end secured to said ring, said coil spring and ringbeing adapted to have the column of fluid pass generally axiallytherethrough, thereby to strike said vanes, whereby the impingement ofthe column of fluid On said vanes is capable of oscillating the sprayhead with tilting non-rotary gyratory motion which successively presentssaid vanes in intercepting relation to the column of fluid.

5. A gyratory non-rotary sprayer comprising a, jet member adapted todirect a column of fluid along an axis, a fan-like spray head having aplurality of vanes in circular series radiating from the said axis, saidvanes having surface portions inclined to the direction of flow of thefluid in the column, inner end of at least one of said vanes projectinginto said axis, and a resilient coil spring normally coaxial with saidaxis, one of its ends being secured concentric with said jet member andits other end being secured to said fan-like head and normallyconcentric with said axis, whereby the column of fluid is enabled topass from said jet member through said coiled spring to strike saidvanes with said head oscillating in a non-rotary gyratory motion underthe impact of the column of fluid on said vanes, causing said headsuccessively to present said vanes in intercepting relation to thecolumn of fluid.

6. A gyratory non-rotary sprayer including a jet member adapted toproject a column of fluid along an axis, a fan-like head including aplurality of vanes arranged in a circular series pattern and extendingoutwardly from positions near the axis of said head, each of said vaneshaving a surface portion facing said jet member and in clined withrespect to the direction of flow of the fluid in said column, the innerend of at least one of said vanes normally extending into the fluidcolumn, and aresilient helical spring spacing said head from said jetmember and normally coaxial with said fluid column, whereby said head iscapable of non-rotary gyratory motion against the yielding resistance ofsaid resilient support under the impact of the fluid column on saidvanes to cause said vanes to successively rock into interceptingrelation to the fluid column.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS932,618 Kunz Aug. 31, 1909 1,933,428 Harry Oct. 31, 1933 2,526,778Stearns Oct. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,317 Great Britain Aug. 13, 1909

